:00:33. > :00:41.Good afternoon. Two as the First Minister what engagements she has
:00:42. > :00:46.planned for the rest of the day? Engagements for the government of
:00:47. > :00:49.Scotland. At the weekend, her predecessor was asked on television
:00:50. > :00:55.while one in five children with primary school illiterate. And the
:00:56. > :01:03.reply was it was just one statistic. It is not. It is those and is of
:01:04. > :01:07.lives. An 10 euros on from this SNP government taking charge, Keynes was
:01:08. > :01:10.being asked to run the schools tomorrow, it is perhaps worth asking
:01:11. > :01:16.the First Minister about some more statistics. Why is it that between
:01:17. > :01:24.2011 and 2015, the proportion of children performing in numerous fell
:01:25. > :01:34.in P4 and P7? I have made absolutely no bones about my determination to
:01:35. > :01:38.raise levels for numerous, literacy, across-the-board. That is why we
:01:39. > :01:40.have established the National improvement framework, the
:01:41. > :01:46.attainment challenge and the attainment fund. As we have talked
:01:47. > :01:52.about, it is now channelling additional resources directly to
:01:53. > :01:57.headteachers in order so that they can decide the ways in which to base
:01:58. > :02:04.reads attainment. It is also why, and we will get the latest figures,
:02:05. > :02:10.in the same vein as those cited shortly, sample surveys, I am not
:02:11. > :02:13.dismissing them but it is one of the reasons why we have taken the
:02:14. > :02:18.decision to start publishing comprehensive school by school,
:02:19. > :02:23.local data. Authority so that we know how the schools are performing,
:02:24. > :02:27.but crucially we know what is wanting, so that we can drive
:02:28. > :02:31.attainment. We remain focused on something vitally important for
:02:32. > :02:39.young people and parents across the country. The First Minister talks
:02:40. > :02:43.about the intention to improve, but absolutely no knowledge meant that
:02:44. > :02:50.the failures are on her watch. We can take another statistic. In
:02:51. > :02:57.science, the Sutton Trust reported on the decline of performance, under
:02:58. > :03:04.the SNP. Over the last decade, since the SNP came to power, it said this
:03:05. > :03:07.decline is equivalent to around an entire year of schooling. The First
:03:08. > :03:12.Minister is going to stand and cancer, telling me that everything
:03:13. > :03:17.will be sorted, but can she tell me, why has this drop in standards
:03:18. > :03:24.happened on her watch? I do not dismiss any of the statistics, but I
:03:25. > :03:36.think Ruth Davidson does a disservice to pupils and teachers.
:03:37. > :03:40.As we have set out before, we now see record numbers of higher and
:03:41. > :03:45.advanced higher passes. And also recognised gross, positive
:03:46. > :03:49.destinations. More young people going into employment, product
:03:50. > :03:58.education, training, has ever been the case. We are far fewer pupils
:03:59. > :04:01.seeing from deprived communities leaving school without any
:04:02. > :04:07.qualifications. And we are starting to see a narrowing of the gap
:04:08. > :04:13.between the least and most deprived areas in terms of access to
:04:14. > :04:17.university. It is not a case of standing here, telling you my
:04:18. > :04:21.intentions, will be absolutely solid, continuing to make
:04:22. > :04:26.improvements. But I can point to the improvements we have already made.
:04:27. > :04:29.We will invest the money, conducting reforms, supporting teachers and
:04:30. > :04:35.headteachers to make sure that we can continue to improve attainment
:04:36. > :04:48.for young people across the country. I stand next to know one, but what
:04:49. > :04:53.they do, it is work under guidance, described as quote, self evident
:04:54. > :04:59.lunacy. That is what is coming out of the government. This is what
:05:00. > :05:02.parents think. This SNP government has presided over following
:05:03. > :05:08.standards, we do not have enough teachers in the classroom to change
:05:09. > :05:16.that situation. Another statistic. 4000 fewer teachers, in Scotland,
:05:17. > :05:22.and 2007. We know that 16% of training places for English
:05:23. > :05:28.teachers, unfilled, a quarter for maths, unfilled. Possible solutions
:05:29. > :05:32.to this, we have councils in some rural communities, the north-east
:05:33. > :05:35.and payment is wanting more flexibility to tackle disgraces
:05:36. > :05:41.themselves. Sitting the circumstances. But they are having
:05:42. > :05:45.to stand around, because John Swinney's answer to governance has
:05:46. > :05:51.been delayed. It is a problem of SNP's meeting. Councils want to fix
:05:52. > :06:02.this, but the Education Secretary has said let me chew on this. Why is
:06:03. > :06:05.this? In terms of the government 's review, the recommendations that we
:06:06. > :06:10.are taking will be published shortly, once we have properly
:06:11. > :06:14.analysed as it is correct to do, all the submissions made. And one thing
:06:15. > :06:21.that is absolutely certain if past experience is anything to go by, as
:06:22. > :06:24.soon as we set out the direction of travel, the other parties in this
:06:25. > :06:32.chamber who have been calling on us to do this, will suddenly decide
:06:33. > :06:40.that they oppose everything that we are going to do. I would absolutely
:06:41. > :06:45.put some bets on that. But this is part of our wider package of reform.
:06:46. > :06:52.The attainment challenge, attainment fund, introduction of standardised
:06:53. > :06:58.assistance. Labour used to support that, but when we decided to do
:06:59. > :07:04.that, they decided to oppose. The publication of local authority
:07:05. > :07:10.figures, so that we can track got back exactly. The Liberal Democrats
:07:11. > :07:15.oppose those reforms. What we have time and again, seen, opposition
:07:16. > :07:20.parties calling for things to be done, and when they are done, they
:07:21. > :07:25.decided to oppose that. We will take the action, backed by investment,
:07:26. > :07:33.delivering improvements in schools, and will continue to deliver
:07:34. > :07:39.improvements. I am sorry but jam tomorrow does not cut it. With this
:07:40. > :07:47.SNP government, it is not one statistic, it is the ten year of
:07:48. > :07:50.failure. Record it is leaving the situation, according to the
:07:51. > :07:56.architect of Curriculum for Excellence, the schools can no
:07:57. > :08:01.longer be classed as world leading. Tomorrow, the only whose job it is
:08:02. > :08:07.to support schools, and the SNP has said it is the top priority but does
:08:08. > :08:11.the ten years of failure not tell a different story? Weevil go to the
:08:12. > :08:21.local elections tomorrow, pointing to the improvements made, and the
:08:22. > :08:26.?120 million of additional resource, and I am standing here wondering why
:08:27. > :08:31.it is the case that education was of any priority to the Conservatives,
:08:32. > :08:40.they are putting out around the country leaflets... I got this one.
:08:41. > :08:48.It mentions me, the SNP, independence, a grand total of 43
:08:49. > :08:54.times. It mentions... Nine times. Ruth Davidson, the Conservatives,
:08:55. > :09:03.nine times. One of those, her signature. It mentions the policy on
:09:04. > :09:09.education, not once. In this election, the Conservatives have not
:09:10. > :09:17.put forward a single policy on schools, social care, roads,
:09:18. > :09:21.transport, anything. They have a constitutional session. I am going
:09:22. > :09:37.to get on with raising standards in schools.
:09:38. > :09:44.What engagements does the First Minister have planned for the rest
:09:45. > :09:49.of the week? Even more engagements, the government's programme for
:09:50. > :09:57.Scotland. In 2015, the First Minister said she supported the 50p
:09:58. > :10:05.top rate of tax for those earning more than 150,000, but in 2016 she
:10:06. > :10:08.changed her mind. In 2017, without any sense of irony, she claims to
:10:09. > :10:14.support this again. Does she expect people to believe this thing? Kezia
:10:15. > :10:19.Dugdale should listen more carefully. In 2015, I said I
:10:20. > :10:25.supported that across the United Kingdom. In 2016, I said if we only
:10:26. > :10:28.did that in Scotland, to tackle tax avoidance, the advice that we had
:10:29. > :10:33.taken was that that could potentially lose revenue. I do not
:10:34. > :10:39.think anybody in this chamber would seriously stand up and argue that we
:10:40. > :10:44.should put up a tax if the advice says it would lead to a reduction in
:10:45. > :10:51.revenue. We're going into the United Kingdom wide election, and we will
:10:52. > :10:57.publish the manifesto. But of course, this is Kezia Dugdale. The
:10:58. > :11:01.leader of the Labour Party, just a few weeks ago, publish the local
:11:02. > :11:06.government manifesto saying that the council tax freeze had crippled
:11:07. > :11:11.local government. Yet, reading eight Labour authorities, promising to
:11:12. > :11:21.freeze the council tax. Perhaps Kezia Dugdale would comment on that
:11:22. > :11:24.before asking me about taxation. The First Minister spent ten years, two
:11:25. > :11:34.elections, promising to scrap the council tax. And I have just heard
:11:35. > :11:37.the First Minister, saying we should not bother to tax the rich, because
:11:38. > :11:48.they will find some way around that. The truth, the Scottish National
:11:49. > :11:52.Party have voted against the 50p top rate of tax no less than eight
:11:53. > :11:56.times. So much for stronger for Scotland. Nicola Sturgeon has spent
:11:57. > :12:01.her entire career campaigning for more accurate to stop cuts to public
:12:02. > :12:05.services, but now that she has got the power, she refuses to do that.
:12:06. > :12:09.The ridiculous situation, the nationalist First Minister says that
:12:10. > :12:16.she wants to tax rich, but only if England does that first. Nicola
:12:17. > :12:17.Sturgeon has plenty of principles when campaigning, but nothing but
:12:18. > :12:29.excuses when in power. What I actually said, the problem
:12:30. > :12:32.was that we do not have the powers in this Parliament to stop the
:12:33. > :12:36.wealthiest potentially avoiding a higher rate of tax. I want these
:12:37. > :12:40.powers. Kezia Dugdale argues to keep these powers in the hands of a Tory
:12:41. > :12:45.government at Westminster. That is the difference between me and Kezia
:12:46. > :12:49.Dugdale. And, you know, is your Dugdale cannot really expect to be
:12:50. > :12:53.taken seriously on the issue of tax, because she has come here week after
:12:54. > :12:57.week saying that I should raise taxes, not just on the rich but on
:12:58. > :13:03.ordinary working people as well. She has come here week after week saying
:13:04. > :13:07.the council tax freeze is wrong, and yet going into an election tomorrow
:13:08. > :13:10.with eight local authorities across this country promising to continue
:13:11. > :13:15.to freeze the council tax, and each and every one of those councils is a
:13:16. > :13:19.Labour led council. How can Kezia Dugdale have a single shred of
:13:20. > :13:24.credibility on tax? I think voters tomorrow will make their own
:13:25. > :13:32.judgment on Labour right across this country. The council tax is unfair
:13:33. > :13:36.and regressive. How do we know that? Because the SNP have been telling us
:13:37. > :13:40.that for ten years! And there we have it, just another excuse as to
:13:41. > :13:45.why she won't ask the richest people in society to pay a bit more tax.
:13:46. > :13:49.What a shame, it is the same thing the Tories have been saying for
:13:50. > :13:52.years. She claims to back a 50 be tax rate but she will not increment
:13:53. > :13:57.one here in Scotland, when she has the power to do so. She plans to be
:13:58. > :14:01.protecting the NHS while local services across the country face
:14:02. > :14:04.cuts and closure on her watch. And she claims that education is her
:14:05. > :14:08.number one priority and then spends every waking minute plotting how to
:14:09. > :14:18.force another independence referendum. Does Nicola Sturgeon
:14:19. > :14:22.feel any guilt, any guilt at all, touring the country, warning against
:14:23. > :14:27.austerity, when it is her government that has cut ?1.5 billion from
:14:28. > :14:30.council services? Look, I will continue to do what I have done for
:14:31. > :14:34.the past few years, which is to argue against austerity at source.
:14:35. > :14:40.That's what I will be campaigning for in this election. The difference
:14:41. > :14:44.between me and Kezia Dugdale is, she doesn't want to scrap austerity, she
:14:45. > :14:46.wants to transfer the burden of austerity onto the shoulders of
:14:47. > :14:55.low-paid people right across this country. And why is that? Because
:14:56. > :14:58.she prefers to allow a Tory government at Westminster to take
:14:59. > :15:03.the big decisions about our economy, rather than have them made here. Is
:15:04. > :15:07.your Dugdale is wrong in what she says about the NHS and about council
:15:08. > :15:10.services. The NHS budget is more than ?3 billion higher today than it
:15:11. > :15:16.was when this government took office. The number of NHS staff is
:15:17. > :15:23.10% higher almost than it was when we took office. We have got the best
:15:24. > :15:28.of forming A departments anywhere in the UK. We've got ?120 million
:15:29. > :15:31.going into the hands of head teachers. I will come back to the
:15:32. > :15:36.central question. Kezia Dugdale, albeit wrongly, is accusing this
:15:37. > :15:41.government of short-changing local authorities. The question remains -
:15:42. > :15:46.why is it only Labour councils going into this election, missing to
:15:47. > :15:49.freeze the council tax? Why are they not doing what SNP councils are
:15:50. > :15:54.doing, choosing raise revenue for schools and social care? Kezia
:15:55. > :16:03.Dugdale has no credibility on this issue, and I think from looking at
:16:04. > :16:09.her, she knows it. There is one constituency supplement reborn
:16:10. > :16:13.that's come the First Minister offer any hope for my constituents having
:16:14. > :16:17.to endure a very lengthy orthopaedic waiting lists, in contrast to what
:16:18. > :16:22.she has just said about the NHS? One man was told he was to have a knee
:16:23. > :16:27.operation at the Golden Jubilee, only for funding to be withdrawn by
:16:28. > :16:31.the NHS. He is virtually unable to walk and is in constant pain. Can I
:16:32. > :16:36.ask the First Minister why, at the start of the financial year, when
:16:37. > :16:40.patients are in severe pain and waiting times have been badly
:16:41. > :16:46.breached, why are Greater Glasgow And Clive rationing treatment and
:16:47. > :16:50.denying patients the opportunity to have the treatment at another NHS
:16:51. > :16:55.hospital? And what action will she take to ensure that Mr Howie and
:16:56. > :17:02.others like him can get treatment he deserves? NHS boards right across
:17:03. > :17:05.the country are investing to make sure that we have got short waiting
:17:06. > :17:10.times. Waiting times today are much shorter than they were when this
:17:11. > :17:13.government took office. We are focusing on making sure those
:17:14. > :17:19.waiting longest get priority in terms of treatment. I would say that
:17:20. > :17:24.what she has outlined is something I want to know the detail of. The
:17:25. > :17:30.Health Secretary has told me that she has written this morning I think
:17:31. > :17:35.to the chief executive of Greater Glasgow And Clyde, and once we have
:17:36. > :17:42.the detail of that, I will ask John Robertson to write to the member
:17:43. > :17:47.with the full details. To ask the First Minister when the Cabinet will
:17:48. > :17:52.next meet. Tuesday. The First Minister accuses opposition parties
:17:53. > :17:57.of demanding changes on education, and then complaining when the
:17:58. > :18:01.Scottish Government increments of those changes. The greens have never
:18:02. > :18:06.argued that standardised testing of reviews of Governor structure are
:18:07. > :18:09.the root of the problem. And the greens have never supported the
:18:10. > :18:12.stripping of local authorities of their power to make decisions about
:18:13. > :18:17.these matters. What we have consistently argued is that
:18:18. > :18:21.resources are at the core of the question. And if we want to
:18:22. > :18:27.recognise the thousands of teachers that have been lost in Scotland, the
:18:28. > :18:30.hundreds of support workers, school librarians, classroom assistants and
:18:31. > :18:34.the lack of resources which are available to our local authorities,
:18:35. > :18:37.isn't it very clear that that has to be the core of the solution, if that
:18:38. > :18:47.is what has been causing the problem? The Scottish Government...
:18:48. > :18:53.Isn't it clear that those cuts have to be the beginning of a change
:18:54. > :18:57.which puts resources back into our local authorities, so that they are
:18:58. > :19:02.able to support the professionals doing the job around the country?
:19:03. > :19:03.Patrick Harvie and I have something of a disagreement when it comes to
:19:04. > :19:10.education reform. I do think it is education reform. I do think it is
:19:11. > :19:12.important not that we strip local authorities of their
:19:13. > :19:17.responsibilities come about is not our intention, but that we do give
:19:18. > :19:22.greater flexibility and autonomy and control to local schools. Because
:19:23. > :19:27.much of the evidence about how you drive improvements in education says
:19:28. > :19:30.that that, along with the capacity and quality of teachers and the
:19:31. > :19:35.quality of learning, is how you do that. So that's why we are doing
:19:36. > :19:40.those reforms. I also think it is vital that we have more rigour
:19:41. > :19:44.around both how performance is assessed, but also how that is
:19:45. > :19:50.reported publicly. That's why we are introducing standardised
:19:51. > :19:54.assessments, to inform teacher judgment, so that there is more
:19:55. > :19:58.rigour around that. And then we want to make sure that there is
:19:59. > :20:03.transparency around the performance of schools. For the first time ever,
:20:04. > :20:09.we are going down a road where we are publishing not sample surveys
:20:10. > :20:13.but preventive school by school data, so that we can properly assess
:20:14. > :20:19.how they are performing. And I think the white reforms. And I will
:20:20. > :20:22.continue to carry on with it, because I believe they're essential
:20:23. > :20:28.to getting that improvement in our schools. However, where I do have an
:20:29. > :20:36.agreement with Patrick Harvie is on the issue of resources. We have also
:20:37. > :20:41.said that resource in the hands of head teachers is a vital part of our
:20:42. > :20:45.attainment drive. That's why I've said already on a couple of
:20:46. > :20:48.occasions that there will be ?120 million going direct to
:20:49. > :20:51.headteachers. Headteachers are then free to decide how that money is
:20:52. > :20:58.invested. If they want to invest that in staff, that is up to
:20:59. > :21:05.headteachers. That ?120 million is part of the wider attainment fund,
:21:06. > :21:10.which totals ?750 million across this Parliament. So, yes, sources
:21:11. > :21:15.and investment is crucial, but I believe we need a couple that with
:21:16. > :21:19.reforms which will allow us to drive improvements faster, and I make
:21:20. > :21:26.absolutely zero apologies for that. I'm afraid I still do not think the
:21:27. > :21:28.Scottish Government has yet countered the concern that
:21:29. > :21:32.standardised testing will end up here and used for the same purposes
:21:33. > :21:37.as league tables, if they were caught that. I also don't accept
:21:38. > :21:41.that teachers want to be managers, or that headteachers want to be
:21:42. > :21:44.chief executive is or chief financial officers. I think they
:21:45. > :21:48.want to focus on what they are passionate about and talented at,
:21:49. > :21:52.which is teaching and education and the life chances of young people.
:21:53. > :21:58.But if we want to reverse that decline, 4000 teachers lost, if we
:21:59. > :22:02.want to reverse that in these other important professions, librarians,
:22:03. > :22:07.classroom assistants, the overall level of resource needs to go
:22:08. > :22:10.higher. Over successive years, we need to be resource in local
:22:11. > :22:16.councils to make those decisions. The Scottish Government is willing
:22:17. > :22:19.to cap council tax rates at national level without legislation, they're
:22:20. > :22:24.willing to tell England and Wales what their income tax rate should
:22:25. > :22:29.be, but not willing to change them in Scotland more than an inch. Isn't
:22:30. > :22:34.it very clear that we need to reject this Tory notion of Scotland has a
:22:35. > :22:38.higher tax part of the UK, make people like the First Minister and
:22:39. > :22:42.myself pay a bit more tax into the pot to produce the resources to
:22:43. > :22:45.going to education, which will make a difference in the life chances of
:22:46. > :22:51.every child in this country? Because of the decisions that we've taken,
:22:52. > :22:58.higher rate taxpayers are paying a bit more than higher rate taxpayers
:22:59. > :23:02.elsewhere in the UK. These are the right, balanced tax decisions which
:23:03. > :23:05.I think it is appropriate to take. At a time when inflation is rising
:23:06. > :23:09.and living standards are under pressure, I don't think it is right
:23:10. > :23:14.to increase income tax for those on the basic rate. Again, people are
:23:15. > :23:19.free to take a different view but that is my view. On the issue of
:23:20. > :23:24.education and local government funding, in the financial year that
:23:25. > :23:28.we are now in, there is available to local services additional spending
:23:29. > :23:33.power of ?400 million. As Patrick Harvie Whiteley said, some of that,
:23:34. > :23:37.down to discussions which his party and my party had leading up to the
:23:38. > :23:43.agreement of the budget. So, there is more resource in local
:23:44. > :23:47.government. And specifically in education, there is more resources
:23:48. > :23:50.going to headteachers. Let me assure Patrick Harvie, we have no intention
:23:51. > :23:54.of seeing headteachers become bureaucrats. The point is allowing
:23:55. > :23:59.them to be the leaders of learning that they need to be in order to
:24:00. > :24:03.drive improvement and to put into their hands the resources that they
:24:04. > :24:06.need in order to do that. These reforms I think will lead to
:24:07. > :24:12.improvements in our schools. I think it is right that we have rigorous
:24:13. > :24:15.debate about these things, but I am determined to take forward these
:24:16. > :24:23.reforms, and we will be held to account on them. Which is why the
:24:24. > :24:26.publication, people like to dismiss it as league tables, that is the
:24:27. > :24:30.information parents have access to, to know how the schools are
:24:31. > :24:33.performing, it is information which people in this Chamber have access
:24:34. > :24:38.to, to hold me and this government accountable. It is right and proper
:24:39. > :24:46.that we continue to make sure that it is available. Last night, on STV,
:24:47. > :24:52.Ruth Davidson repeated the fiction that under the new two-child cap for
:24:53. > :24:55.child tax credits, a woman only has two White Hart Lane in a box to
:24:56. > :25:00.prove that they have had a subsequent child as a result of rape
:25:01. > :25:06.- is this true? It is not true, and Ruth Davidson knows it is not true.
:25:07. > :25:13.We had a very powerful and at times very emotional debate on the brief
:25:14. > :25:18.child tax rate cap just a couple of weeks. I find it quite hard to
:25:19. > :25:22.believe that Ruth Davidson could have sat through that debate and
:25:23. > :25:26.listened to the letter read out by Kezia Dugdale and still gone on
:25:27. > :25:31.television last night and say that it was just about ticking a box. I
:25:32. > :25:36.think that's disgraceful. And more importantly, what it demonstrates,
:25:37. > :25:40.or at least what it gives the impression of ADI will choose my
:25:41. > :25:44.words carefully, what it gives the impression of, because I hope this
:25:45. > :25:49.is not the reality, is a complete lack of empathy for the emotional
:25:50. > :25:52.trauma that any woman in these circumstances would have to go
:25:53. > :25:56.through, of having to declare to a third party that their child had
:25:57. > :26:00.been conceived as a result of wake. A woman that probably is determined
:26:01. > :26:04.to do everything in her power to protect her child from ever being
:26:05. > :26:07.aware of those facts. So, I think it is really important that whatever
:26:08. > :26:15.disagreements we have around policy on this, and it beggars belief that
:26:16. > :26:18.anybody can defend the rape laws, it is indefensible, in my view, and I
:26:19. > :26:22.think that is why the Tories are struggling so badly to defend it,
:26:23. > :26:26.but for goodness' sake, when it comes to support four of the most
:26:27. > :26:32.vulnerable people in our society, a bit of empathy and compassion and a
:26:33. > :26:33.bit less of a dismissive attitude I think would go down well from the
:26:34. > :26:49.Tories. Thank you, Presiding Officer. The
:26:50. > :26:56.BBC have reported a response, from Freedom of Information Act, the
:26:57. > :27:01.number of serious assaults and robberies increasing in Scotland.
:27:02. > :27:04.The information that the BBC has been reporting, it is management
:27:05. > :27:10.information. It is important to stress that. It is not official
:27:11. > :27:13.figures. That could reflect the information reported, but it is
:27:14. > :27:22.important that we point out the fact that some things that cannot be the
:27:23. > :27:26.case. Figures can fluctuate, and what we have been seeing in
:27:27. > :27:36.Scotland, for something, it is a long-term reduction, in non sexual
:27:37. > :27:48.violent crime. We have seen that for something. 52% reduction, from 2006,
:27:49. > :27:52.and in 2015, 16, the latest statistics are available, the number
:27:53. > :27:56.of homicides in Scotland was at its lowest level since comparator will
:27:57. > :27:59.read cuts began in 76. We always have to make sure that we are
:28:00. > :28:07.supporting the police, to make sure that we keep all sorts of crime now,
:28:08. > :28:12.but we have the production, continuing to do everything
:28:13. > :28:18.possible. That is one of the reasons why we have supported the police,
:28:19. > :28:23.when 20,000 police officers have been lost south of the border. We're
:28:24. > :28:31.going to continue to support the police, across the country. Does the
:28:32. > :28:36.First Minister support the 10,000 people, probably more, who have
:28:37. > :28:42.signed a petition against the imposition of the ?2 drop off fee at
:28:43. > :28:47.Glasgow Airport? Does the First Minister agree it is not going to
:28:48. > :28:51.reduce congestion, and we do not have great transport links to
:28:52. > :28:56.Glasgow Airport, so a rail link may have made a difference, families
:28:57. > :29:04.going on holiday are going to be forced to pay. It is not going to
:29:05. > :29:11.reduce congestion, because it is a smaller area and they are going to
:29:12. > :29:14.block drivers in. The First Minister has to condemn this. It is a
:29:15. > :29:20.moneymaking venture, it has nothing to do with congestion. Genuinely, I
:29:21. > :29:26.am raising this genuinely, public fury at this, I think the public
:29:27. > :29:31.would appreciate at least your understanding, they do not think
:29:32. > :29:36.this is justified. Of course, I understand the concern of members of
:29:37. > :29:40.the public whenever a change like this happens. I understand that.
:29:41. > :29:49.Many of my constituents, in common with MSPs will use Glasgow Airport
:29:50. > :29:53.regularly. I constituency is one of the closest geographically. I
:29:54. > :29:57.understand that many people will have concerns. This is a matter for
:29:58. > :30:05.Glasgow Airport. It is incumbent on them, to make the case why this was
:30:06. > :30:12.necessary. To have that scrutinised. Pauline also raised the issue of the
:30:13. > :30:16.air link. Certainly, at the parliament before this we had
:30:17. > :30:21.debates about the Glasgow Airport rail link, and for good reasons we
:30:22. > :30:29.decided not to proceed. But what Pauline should also be aware of,
:30:30. > :30:39.being funded, these councils have the ability to have access projects
:30:40. > :30:42.to Glasgow Airport. I certainly will wait and see who is going to be in
:30:43. > :30:53.charge of these councils after tomorrow. Does the First Minister
:30:54. > :30:57.not understand that the plans for the publication of school league
:30:58. > :31:03.tables can result in teachers teaching to the tests rather than
:31:04. > :31:09.concentrating on teaching the children, and that this could have
:31:10. > :31:18.opposite effect than she intends? I say this insincere and the, if you
:31:19. > :31:22.intended properly what we intend to publish, you would not have asked
:31:23. > :31:27.that question. The premise of the question, it is wrong. It is not the
:31:28. > :31:31.test scores being published, it is the performance of young people,
:31:32. > :31:39.against the required level of Curriculum for Excellence. Judged by
:31:40. > :31:47.teachers, informed by the tests. Why is that important? Because it makes
:31:48. > :31:52.the judgment more rigorous, but secondly, it avoids the narrowing to
:31:53. > :31:58.the tests because it is not only be standardised test score taken into
:31:59. > :32:03.account. The teacher will look at all performance. In all sincerity,
:32:04. > :32:07.people across this chamber, we can't have these debates, but come to
:32:08. > :32:14.these, informed with the facts of what we're doing, rather your
:32:15. > :32:24.prejudice. Then, we will have meaningfully, meaningful debates. To
:32:25. > :32:27.assess the First Minister what is the Scottish Government's response
:32:28. > :32:32.to the population rising to an all-time high of 5.4 million? We
:32:33. > :32:39.welcome the news that the population is growing. Stimulating population
:32:40. > :32:45.growth, it is sustainable economic growth. It also underlines the role
:32:46. > :32:50.that migration has got to play, to grow the population. Robust evidence
:32:51. > :32:58.that confirms the long-standing view that migrants inside of the European
:32:59. > :33:03.Union contribute, mostly young, economically active and qualified.
:33:04. > :33:06.Scotland benefits from the contribution of people across the
:33:07. > :33:11.world, choosing to live and study here, with expertise, helping to
:33:12. > :33:17.underpin economic growth. We should take every opportunity to tell them
:33:18. > :33:21.that they are welcome. Thank you for the answer. In a half-century before
:33:22. > :33:25.the millennium, more than 2 million Scottish people emigrated, and
:33:26. > :33:31.Scotland once had the lowest population growth of any nation or
:33:32. > :33:36.nails. That left us with an economy, overtaken by others. -- on earth.
:33:37. > :33:46.Does the First Minister agree that will be population is growing, there
:33:47. > :33:48.is cause for concern, and the Brexit stopping the movement of people will
:33:49. > :33:54.not only stop the population growth, but also need to skills shortages
:33:55. > :34:02.and damage the economy? I feel as though I should start by thanking
:34:03. > :34:05.the Presiding Officer. I better not. The latest estimates published, have
:34:06. > :34:13.shown that the population increase has been driven by migration. That
:34:14. > :34:18.is why I make this point, continued inward migration, and I will be
:34:19. > :34:23.scanned the controversial, but it is critical to maintaining population
:34:24. > :34:28.growth, driving economic growth. If the current trend continues, and it
:34:29. > :34:35.is projected to be the main contributor to the population growth
:34:36. > :34:38.over the next 25 years, it is find one of the things that should
:34:39. > :34:42.concern all of us about Brexit and the negotiations, any serious
:34:43. > :34:46.restrictions to the ability of European Union nationals to live in
:34:47. > :34:52.Scotland would be deeply damaging to the economy. It is important that
:34:53. > :34:58.across the chamber, and all of us in mainstream politics have the courage
:34:59. > :35:01.to make that argument. If we allow the migration and immigration debate
:35:02. > :35:10.to be distorted, we will damage the economy and society. These latest
:35:11. > :35:16.statistics, stark reminder. Scotland has consistently attracted fewer
:35:17. > :35:21.migrants, relative to other parts of the UK. Why does the First Minister
:35:22. > :35:27.think after ten years of raising the government, Scotland is a relatively
:35:28. > :35:37.unattractive place for immigrants to come? What an utterly disgraceful
:35:38. > :35:41.thing for a member of this Parliament to stand up, in this
:35:42. > :35:50.chamber, and discreet his own country as an unattractive place to
:35:51. > :35:57.live. Murdo Fraser, hang your head in shame. As I have said before, I
:35:58. > :36:06.remember the days, becoming dark, distant days, when you used to be a
:36:07. > :36:11.serious politician, now you aspire to be a figure of fun. Just what the
:36:12. > :36:15.serious point, we have got to encourage people to come here, one
:36:16. > :36:21.of the reason why more migrants will settle in London, is because of
:36:22. > :36:25.geography, anybody with common sense would know that. But we have just
:36:26. > :36:32.had a figures, showing the contribution that migration is
:36:33. > :36:37.making. The real question is not what Murdo Fraser posed. It is...
:36:38. > :36:40.Are we going to make sure that we continue to have the ability to
:36:41. > :36:48.attract people to come and live in Scotland, or are we going to allow
:36:49. > :36:56.narrow minded Tories to put barriers in the way? That is going to be the
:36:57. > :36:59.question for Scotland. To ask the First Minister, if headteachers will
:37:00. > :37:03.require the agreement of the relevant local authority, before
:37:04. > :37:10.decisions are made about the pupil equity fund spent in school? I have
:37:11. > :37:15.been absolutely clear, and the Deputy First Minister, that the
:37:16. > :37:20.funding scheme, the ?120 million will be used at the discretion of
:37:21. > :37:25.headteachers. The national operation guidance on the funding sets out
:37:26. > :37:27.principles to support headteachers and headteachers should work in
:37:28. > :37:33.partnership with each other and local authorities to share good
:37:34. > :37:36.practice and consider the use of funding. It is the discretion of
:37:37. > :37:44.headteachers, the central factor deciding how that is spent. I thank
:37:45. > :37:51.the First Minister for that reply. Quite correct, John Swinney stated
:37:52. > :37:53.categorically on 13th September, under the Scottish Government
:37:54. > :37:59.reforms, the presumption of decision-making at school level.
:38:00. > :38:02.Could I ask, why then from the Scottish Government documents it is
:38:03. > :38:07.clear that it is good to be national guidance and local authority,
:38:08. > :38:13.guidance, compelling headteachers to agree to the use of the pupil equity
:38:14. > :38:16.funding and local authority to be accountable to the local authority,
:38:17. > :38:28.for how that money is the point. We'll headteachers ever have real
:38:29. > :38:35.spin? Autonomy, I think Liz Smith is misrepresenting, not intentionally,
:38:36. > :38:41.the cadence. I can just point to some of the content of the cadence.
:38:42. > :38:44.I know the commission for school reform had wrongly claimed it was
:38:45. > :38:55.prescriptive. The direction in that guidance refers to principles must
:38:56. > :38:59.be additional to the current spend. Who could possibly disagree?
:39:00. > :39:04.Secondly, targeted at closing the attainment gap. Who could possibly
:39:05. > :39:10.disagree? That is what the money is for. It should be based on the
:39:11. > :39:18.evidence of what works. That seems to be sensible. And that parents,
:39:19. > :39:21.children, young people should be involved in planning for equity
:39:22. > :39:27.funding. It is common sense. As I said to Patrick Harvie, evidence
:39:28. > :39:33.that the involvement of parents and young people in these initiatives to
:39:34. > :39:37.drive improvement are important. Of course, headteachers are going to
:39:38. > :39:42.share practice, and with any use of public money, and accountability,
:39:43. > :39:48.not least through the figures. Also the performance of schools. And this
:39:49. > :39:55.money is money to be spent at the discretion of headteachers. Having
:39:56. > :40:03.called for this... I would have thought the chamber would support
:40:04. > :40:05.this, get behind this. Thank you. To as the First Minister, what action
:40:06. > :40:10.will be Scottish Government take to improve access to sanitary products?
:40:11. > :40:14.The Scottish Government is actively considering what support we can
:40:15. > :40:21.provide for women, on low income, to have access to these products, in a
:40:22. > :40:24.dignified way. We have a commitment to tackling poverty, but we know
:40:25. > :40:29.that in this use of these conservative welfare cuts, and
:40:30. > :40:34.posterity, pushing more people into poverty, we have one hand tied
:40:35. > :40:40.behind your back. The bedroom tax, fair food fund, the independent
:40:41. > :40:45.living fund, to name just some of the policies, the mitigation of the
:40:46. > :40:51.bedroom tax, we spent hundreds of millions of pounds every year
:40:52. > :40:55.protecting the most probable in society from the worst excesses. --
:40:56. > :40:59.vulnerable. These are resources we would rather than investing in more
:41:00. > :41:05.anti-poverty measures, not mitigating, not sticking plasters on
:41:06. > :41:08.Conservative cuts. I thank the First Minister for that answer. I welcome
:41:09. > :41:12.some of the states that the government has outlined, because
:41:13. > :41:16.last year when I asked this I was told the government had not done any
:41:17. > :41:23.work and that women could use food banks, but if you but we have moved
:41:24. > :41:30.on. Last year, we debated one period poverty and I have announced my
:41:31. > :41:34.intention to bring forward the bill. Member we have gender inequality,
:41:35. > :41:40.and just last week, the NUS, the youth Parliament, and I go on...
:41:41. > :41:48.Could all of them supporting the proposals. No women or girl should
:41:49. > :41:53.face the indignity, of not having access to these products. Now it's
:41:54. > :41:56.why this should be the case in a progressively wealthy country. Does
:41:57. > :42:01.the First Minister agree that sanitary products are a necessity,
:42:02. > :42:04.not a luxury, and the Scottish parliament should accordingly be
:42:05. > :42:09.taking all the necessary action to ensuring that rate of axis?
:42:10. > :42:19.survey, firstly, and I commend her for taking forward this issue as an
:42:20. > :42:22.important issue? The Government is certainly open to working in
:42:23. > :42:27.partnership as we explore the ways in which we can deal with this
:42:28. > :42:30.issue. I do agree with her, and I think any woman and a lot of men
:42:31. > :42:34.would agree that sanitary products are not a luxury, they are a
:42:35. > :42:37.necessity, and we should not have a situation where women are forced
:42:38. > :42:41.into situations of indignity because they are on income is that can't
:42:42. > :42:47.support the purchase of these products. So, as she has
:42:48. > :42:51.acknowledged, the Scottish Government is exploring a number of
:42:52. > :42:56.ways in which we can help with the issue of period poverty FINA and I
:42:57. > :43:01.know Angela Constance would be happy to talk further with Monica Lennon
:43:02. > :43:08.as our consideration of these issues develops. I hope we can come to a
:43:09. > :43:11.consensus about ways in which we can help full stop and we in the
:43:12. > :43:21.Scottish governorate are keen to do that. Talking about how we help
:43:22. > :43:24.women in vulnerable situations, rather than debating how people in
:43:25. > :43:29.other places are trying to penalise women in voluble situations. To ask
:43:30. > :43:34.the First Minister how the high Court of Justice's decision to order
:43:35. > :43:38.the UK Government to publish its Aleutian strategy impacts on
:43:39. > :43:42.Scotland? The decision relates to the timing of the strategy's
:43:43. > :43:45.publication rather than the content of the strategy, and I understand
:43:46. > :43:49.that the UK Government has now decided not to appeal the decision
:43:50. > :43:55.of the High Court and will consult on the updated plan. The Scottish
:43:56. > :43:59.Government is committed to promoting the equality and the UK action plan
:44:00. > :44:02.will include a contribution from the Scottish Government, setting out how
:44:03. > :44:09.we intend to deliver further air quality improvements in Scotland via
:44:10. > :44:14.our own strategy. Also by establishing Scotland's first low
:44:15. > :44:19.emissions zone. Can I thank her for that response? But I am not prepared
:44:20. > :44:25.to put my family at risk any more on Scotland's polluted streets. This is
:44:26. > :44:30.a public health crisis, 2000 people dying every year, not just in the
:44:31. > :44:35.First Minister's city but across Scotland, from Perth to Aberdeen.
:44:36. > :44:38.The UK Government was relying on dodgy emissions data from car
:44:39. > :44:41.companies while putting off action to save lives today. The Scottish
:44:42. > :44:46.Government has made the same errors and is captured by the same ruling.
:44:47. > :44:50.When will the First Minister step out of the shadow of these toxic
:44:51. > :44:54.Tory plans and urgently review Scotland's clean air strategy,
:44:55. > :44:58.including funding more than just a solitary low emission zone but when
:44:59. > :45:03.I am not responsible for the UK Government's plans. I am responsible
:45:04. > :45:07.for the plans of the Scottish Government. On this, as on any other
:45:08. > :45:12.issue, we are happy to discuss with other parties in the Chamber how we
:45:13. > :45:17.improve the plans that we have in place. But I think it is important
:45:18. > :45:20.to point out that in Scotland, we are meeting both domestic and
:45:21. > :45:24.European air quality targets across much of the country, although there
:45:25. > :45:27.are still hotspots of poorer Arab quality in a number of areas,
:45:28. > :45:33.particularly urban areas. It is an issue which interests me hugely as
:45:34. > :45:38.an MSP representing an urban constituency. All local authorities
:45:39. > :45:43.with air quality management areas now have action plans in place, and
:45:44. > :45:45.the Scottish governorate is working with these authorities, including
:45:46. > :45:51.Glasgow City Council, to help implement the plans and deliver air
:45:52. > :45:56.quality improvements. I think it is important to stress that we have set
:45:57. > :46:00.more stringent quality targets than the rest of the UK has. Scotland is
:46:01. > :46:06.the first country in Europe to legislate for a particulate matter
:46:07. > :46:09.2.5, which is of particular concern for him and health. And we are
:46:10. > :46:14.providing practical financial support to local authorities. So, we
:46:15. > :46:18.will continue to take action to address what I agree is an issue of
:46:19. > :46:21.the utmost importance. The Environment Secretary will be happy
:46:22. > :46:24.to speak to the member if he wishes, in order to take his views about how
:46:25. > :46:46.we strengthen these plans further. We are working with other partners
:46:47. > :46:50.to develop the first low emission zone which will improve health and
:46:51. > :46:55.help create better places to live, to work and for people to visit. The
:46:56. > :47:02.national modelling framework has already been developed and it
:47:03. > :47:12.informs the specific restrictions needed to develop air quality
:47:13. > :47:15.improvements. We look forward to agreeing with local authorities the
:47:16. > :47:20.location of the first zone once new local administrations are in place
:47:21. > :47:24.following tomorrow's collection. Thank you very much. That
:47:25. > :47:31.concludes... A point of order. A point of order. Yesterday, the
:47:32. > :47:35.Scottish Government issued a press release announcing a regeneration
:47:36. > :47:39.project in Glasgow which everyone knows is an SNP target. I have
:47:40. > :47:44.written to the permanent Secretary of the Scottish Government to
:47:45. > :47:48.complain against the first strong possibility that purdah guidance was
:47:49. > :47:52.ignored. Can you advise if there are any grounds to bring the minister in
:47:53. > :47:56.question before this parliament next week to explain how on earth a
:47:57. > :48:01.Government announcement with a clear possibility of influencing party
:48:02. > :48:06.politics was allowed to go out? Can I thank Mr Thompson for the point of
:48:07. > :48:10.order. These sorts of questions are a matter for the ministerial code
:48:11. > :48:11.and should be pursued with the Government directly. That concludes
:48:12. > :48:39.First Minister's Questions. This morning, as Mandy has
:48:40. > :48:40.explained, we're going to be